east and southern africa regional implementation … · 1.2.1. mr roland ravatomanga, madagascar...

East and Southern Africa

REGIONAL IMPLEMENTATION WORKSHOP

Rural transformation through inclusive growth and private-sector participation

ANTANANARIVO, MADAGASCAR 10-13 NOVEMBER 2015

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Contents

CHAPTER 1: GENERAL THEME OF THE WORKSHOP ...................................................................... 1

1.1. Objectives of the 2015 Regional Implementation Workshop (RIW) ........................................ 1

1.2. Key points of opening remarks................................................................................................ 1

CHAPTER 2: PORTFOLIO PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT ............................................................ 4

2.1. Session proceedings ............................................................................................................... 4

2.2. Portfolio performance review .................................................................................................. 4

2.3. Working groups and practitioners’ experiences on portfolio improvement ............................. 5

2.4. Cross-cutting issues related to portfolio improvement .......................................................... 13

CHAPTER 3: MINISTERIAL PANEL ON RURAL TRANSFORMATION .............................................. 17

3.1. Rural transformation at the policy level ................................................................................. 17

3.2. Rural transformation at the project level ............................................................................... 19

3.3. Rural transformation through private-sector engagement .................................................... 21

3.4. Recommendations and action plan ....................................................................................... 21

CHAPTER 4: CROSS-CUTTING ISSUES AFFECTING RURAL POVERTY ...................................... 22

4.1. Rural development report ...................................................................................................... 22

4.2. Scaling-up results .................................................................................................................. 22

4.3. Farmers’ organizations .......................................................................................................... 23

4.4. Land tenure ........................................................................................................................... 23

CHAPTER 5: FIELD VISIT SUMMARY ................................................................................................ 24

CHAPTER 6: MAIN CONCLUSIONS AND CLOSING REMARKS ....................................................... 25

6.1. Main conclusions ................................................................................................................... 25

6.2. Gender award........................................................................................................................ 25

6.3. Closing message by Mr Sana F. K. Jatta, ESA Regional Director ....................................... 26

6.4. Reflections of Mr Michel Mordasini, IFAD Vice-President .................................................... 27

6.5. Closing speech by Mr Roland Ravatomanga, Madagascar Minister of Agriculture .............. 28

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Official Opening Ceremony

Group photo with His Excellency Mr Hery Rajaonarimampianina, President of the Republic of Madagascar 9 November 2015 . Photos: Agence/Formaprod

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CHAPTER 1: GENERAL THEME OF THE WORKSHOP

1.1. Objectives of the 2015 Regional Implementation Workshop (RIW) The RIW 2015 aimed to create a platform for IFAD, governments and other partners to share ideas and experiences with improved project implementation, and discuss on how IFAD-funded projects can contribute to rural transformation through inclusive growth and private-sector engagement. The specific objectives of the workshop were to: (i) review the implementation of IFAD-funded projects in the region; (ii) share experiences and lessons learned on rural transformation through inclusive growth and private-sector engagement; and (iii) identify challenges met during project implementation and provide solutions for addressing those challenges. Rural transformation can be a powerful engine of sustainable development, contributing to economic growth, poverty eradication, a healthy environment, inclusive societies, gender equality, and food and nutrition security. IFAD has identified four issues that can catalyze the rural transformation agenda: (i) leveraging the rural-urban nexus for development; (ii) promoting an empowerment agenda for rural livelihoods; (iii) investing in smallholder family agriculture for global food security and nutrition; and (iv) strengthening the resilience of poor rural households. A new format was adopted for the 2015 RIW, including: (i) a ministerial panel on rural transformation; (ii) working groups for preparing the portfolio review action plan; (iii) knowledge sharing organized around the portfolio review; and (iv) support to documentation of the workshop.

1.2. Key points of opening remarks

1.2.1. Mr Roland Ravatomanga, Madagascar Minister of Agriculture The Honorable Minister welcomed the audience and expressed his appreciation of the honor of hosting IFAD’s 2015 RIW. This regional workshop provided an important opportunity to share knowledge and experiences, and move forward together. Rural transformation is a critical driver of rural development and poverty eradication in Africa, and Madagascar in particular. IFAD-supported projects have to adapt by integrating related actions and continuing involvement at the local and regional levels while maintaining links with the national level. However, the threats of climate change and depletion of natural resources call for more rigorous planning of development actions. Rural transformation is a priority objective in Madagascar’s National Plan for Rural Development. IFAD projects in Madagascar have been assessed as more than satisfactory thanks to rigorous management and a high level of transparency. Madagascar has the ambition of becoming

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the food basket of the Indian Ocean and a main supplier of rice and livestock to all of Southern Africa.

1.2.2. Sana F.K. Jatta, Regional Director, IFAD East and Southern Africa Division (ESA) Mr Jatta, IFAD’s Regional Director for ESA, laid out the new priorities for the division, which included: (i) making the recent ESA decentralization process a success in achieving development impact; (ii) re-engaging with countries in ESA that have dropped off the spectrum, like Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe; (iii) fostering South-South and triangular cooperation; and (iv) strengthening implementation support to pull “problem projects” out of difficulty.

Decentralization should help IFAD to be a better institution, but it will require an adjustment of resources to maximize effectiveness and build stronger country offices. Since June 2015, IFAD had been working with the Government of Zimbabwe to resume debt payment to IFAD and start a joint irrigation project in that country. In South Africa, the new engagement with IFAD is part of a long-term collaboration that includes lending and non-lending

activities. Namibia’s the re-engagement process required more time to translate into concrete action. In addition, IFAD’s non-lending activities in the region must be reinforced: IFAD is a global knowledge institution providing seed money for innovations and knowledge on smallholder agriculture. Another area of focus is the improvement of “problem projects”, which have already decreased by more than 50 percent since 2014. However, there are still some issues to be addressed.

1.2.3. Mr Michel Mordasini, IFAD Vice-President

Mr Mordasini expressed his thanks to the people of Madagascar for welcoming IFAD to the country, and to the many participants who travelled from Africa and Europe to Antananarivo. The RIW provided a unique opportunity to share experiences and highlight innovative ways to lift rural people out of poverty in East and Southern Africa. IFAD and Madagascar’s Government have a history of cooperation going back 35 years. IFAD has always remained involved in Madagascar's rural development through projects that are aligned with government policies. IFAD’s Madagascar country programme has generated many best practices and knowledge. For example, the system of rice intensification (SRI) developed by the “Projet du Haut Bassin du Mandrare” was recognized with the prize for best sustainable rural development practice at the Milan Expo 2015. The international community set a new and ambitious agenda with the Sustainable Development Goals. One of these goals aims at eradicating hunger and extreme poverty by 2030 while protecting natural resources. For IFAD, this commitment translates into a deep transformation of rural areas, which calls for increased investment to improve living conditions, infrastructure, employment, youth opportunities and nutrition. IFAD will mobilize its available resources during 2016-

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2018 to strengthen agriculture and rural development, and leverage partners’ capacities – especially the private sector – to scale up its projects.

1.2.4. Official address by His Excellency Hery Rajaonarimampianina, President of the Republic of Madagascar

Beginning his address, His Excellency the President stated that Madagascar is a country focused on agriculture, and that its soil holds the country’s future growth and prosperity. However, it must be recognized that the people who get up every morning to work the soil and feed the country are the last ones to profit from their labor; they are the hostages of poverty. Madagascar needs to unleash the economic potential of its agriculture sector and farmers. President Rajaonarimampianina thanked IFAD for its continuous support and solidarity with Madagascar, even during difficult times.

The theme chosen for the workshop – rural transformation through inclusive growth and private-sector engagement – will have a central place Madagascar’s development for years to come. This not only comprises a technical transformation but a transformation of cultural and social practices, which can hinder development. The economic model of agricultural development has to include a social model as well (i.e. the social protection of farmers and workers in rural areas). The RIW was an excellent opportunity to share experiences and knowledge in order to: carry the issue of sustainable rural development forward; adopt an integrated approach to promoting rural development; and preserve the region’s natural resources. Madagascar's concerns coincide with those of IFAD, especially regarding the impact of climate change in light of the November 2015 Paris Climate Conference (COP 21). Scaling up is a crucial strategy for rural transformation. In spite of the recent agricultural innovations in Madagascar, there is still work ahead, for example in rice production. SRI has enabled Madagascar to triple rice yields, but it must be scaled up. In fact, the country is not yet self-sufficient, although it was a net rice exporter a few years ago. Agricultural development also has to include partners from the private sector to ensure a transformation of agricultural resources. This requires intensifying cooperation in years to come to foster development. The President concluded by stating that the RIW was a unique opportunity for actors from across the region to work together in this direction.

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CHAPTER 2: PORTFOLIO PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT

2.1. Session proceedings The objective of the session was to: (i) share key ESA portfolio outcomes; (ii) discuss recommendations to improve the portfolio’s performance; and (iii) exchange experiences related to performance improvement. The session comprised: (i) the presentation of the portfolio performance review report to achieve a common understanding of the review’s content; (ii) working groups to identify solutions and actions to address the review’s recommendations for improving portfolio performance; and (iii) sharing practitioners’ experiences and good practices for improving the portfolio, including examples of success in IFAD-funded projects. Practical, efficient and evidence-based models have been developed by practitioners and technical experts through these projects.

2.2. Portfolio performance review The findings of the 2014/2015 ESA portfolio performance review report were shared and the strengths and weaknesses of the portfolio were highlighted. During this period, the portfolio represented US$1,395,000 billion in IFAD financing for 48 ongoing projects in 17 countries. In addition, the region benefited from US$22 million in regional and country grants covering cross-cutting issues. The three largest recipients of IFAD financing in the region were Ethiopia (US$277.1 million), Tanzania (US$190.8 million) and Uganda (US$155.2 million). Notable achievements emerging in the report included the household methodology scale up in Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, and the promotion of micro-insurance as a risk management strategy for smallholder farmers in Ethiopia and Rwanda. There was also an increased focus on public-private partnerships and climate change adaptation. A number of problems persisted in the management of projects, including non-compliance with procurement, weak monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems, limited coherence of annual work plans and budgets (AWP/B), and insufficient focus on disbursement issues and exit strategies. In the panel discussion, a number of issues were raised regarding the portfolio review report. The lack of M&E was a particularly serious issue raised by the panel. Panel members stressed that M&E should be used as a management tool and considered a crucial part of project management, with the appointment of a dedicated M&E officer at project startup. There should also be more of a focus on the evaluation aspects of M&E. In addition, the link between knowledge management and M&E was also underlined. Participants emphasized that projects need to embrace process documentation: for example, in documentation processes, project teams could reflect back and assess which assignments were carried out properly and which were not.

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Projects’ also need to be more results oriented to maximize impact, with better links between financial disbursement and results. Participants noted that since the introduction of risk-based disbursements and the new IT system Flexcube, withdrawal applications have been processed much faster – typically within 20 days. Since projects have a cash-advance equivalent to six months' expenditure in their AWP/B, liquidity is not a problem for well-managed projects. Also, to improve workflow, the IFAD finance office in Nairobi has gone paperless: loan-administration documents are now being transferred electronically. All projects have access to the Withdrawal Application Tracking System (WATS) and can monitor disbursements. The mainstreaming of climate change was also raised in the discussion, with participants suggesting an assessment of the local context before deciding on the best course of action (including what crop to plant and where, and what type of seeds to plant). IFAD has introduced participants to a new tool to assist projects in addressing the impacts of climate change: the Social, Environmental and Climate Assessment Procedure (SECAP). Mandatory procedures such as this will provide projects with new tools and practical guidance. Then, the working groups focused on:

1. Increasing the effectiveness of implementation support 2. Promoting results-based management 3. Strengthening learning and knowledge management 4. Enhancing resilience to climate change 5. Fostering and sustaining partnerships

Experiences with the following cross-cutting issues were also discussed:

Gender and youth

Financial management

Procurement

Nutrition

2.3. Working groups and sharing practitioners’ experiences on portfolio improvement

2.3.1. Implementation support

In the working group on increasing the effectiveness of implementation support, participants discussed the many issues projects faced, including: (i) the effectiveness of IFAD’s implementation support; (ii) what IFAD can do to enhance the support provided to projects during the start-up phase in order to minimize early implementation delays; (iii) areas in which IFAD should focus its support; and (iv) the fields of expertise in which technical assistance is most difficult to secure. One of the issues participants highlighted was a lack of implementation support at start-up; this led to delays and confusion, especially regarding administrative procedures. Participants also mentioned that in many instances, IFAD country offices were not in a position to provide support because they were understaffed and lacked capacity. As a result, projects had to deal directly with IFAD headquarters in Rome. In some instances, ministries and government officials interfered with projects by requesting other activities than the ones planned at design. Communication between projects and governments was often a challenge. Participants believed that they were too many types of missions (implementation support, technical, supervision, individual, etc.), which were not always useful and created confusion. They also noted a lack of staff continuity, especially among country programme managers and consultants.

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Recommendations and action plan:

1. START-UP PHASE SUPPORT

IFAD will provide mandatory start-up support, with more structured and targeted support during the start-up phase.

The project design should include more details and be clearer about the implementation process, particularly during the project’s first year.

Start-up support should include advice and guidelines to understand administrative procedures.

2. FREESTANDING PROJECT MANAGEMENT UNIT

Projects should have freestanding project management units rather than ministry officials temporarily seconded to projects. This will allow project staff to dedicate adequate time to project activities and be more accountable for the delivery of results.

Improved communication between projects and ministries is needed to avoid interference from ministries in project activities. Also, government staff should be included in the training and support.

3. STRENGTHENING CAPACITY OF IFAD'S COUNTRY OFFICES

Reinforce the capacity of country offices to provide more implementation support. Provide country offices with more skills and competencies to deal with all aspects of project support.

Ensure that country programme managers do not change too often to guarantee continuity.

4. MISSION SUPPORT

Project-support missions should be driven by project demands and supervision missions to agree on what technical assistance is required for the next period. There should be more clarification of the type of mission as well as content and purpose.

There should be more continuity of consultants – including both those going on missions and thematic experts. Involve project staff in deciding what types of skills are needed on missions.

Experts in critical areas should be present at every mission, especially M&E, financial management, procurement and knowledge management.

There is a need for consistent and high-quality technical advice throughout different missions.

Workshops on these critical topics can better support projects. 5. BUDGET

There should be more flexibility to align budgeting with that of government.

IFAD should always provide a “no objection” to AWP/B and explicitly state that other activities are not eligible for the amendment of AWP/B without a no objection.

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2.3.2. Promote results-based management

Participants discussed: (i) what is required for M&E systems to continuously feed into project management, with a view to securing intended results; (ii) how logframes can be used as tools for results-based management; and (iii) the main challenges in adopting results-based management and how to deal with them. M&E experiences from the MUVI project in Tanzania and AROPA in Madagascar were shared and discussed. In this session, the challenges around M&E were raised on a number of occasions, especially regarding the design of data-collection processes in which roles and responsibilities are not clearly defined. Often, data are collected but the quality is very poor and impossible to use. Several projects had difficulty understanding the difference between M&E and knowledge management. Participants also raised the issue of mainstreaming M&E as part of IFAD’s decentralization process. Participants highlighted the fact that to function well, M&E should be results oriented and have a clear direction from the start. There is a need to share M&E obligations among project staff and beneficiaries; both parties need tools so that beneficiaries can evaluate themselves. An improved logframe could allow projects to focus more on results.

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2.3.3. Strengthening learning and knowledge management Working group participants discussed the many challenges related to: (i) promoting and ensuring continuous learning from projects and programmes; (ii) developing a system for learning and knowledge management across the region, which would be useful to projects as well as to IFAD; and (iii) the requirements for lessons learned from projects to be communicated and used to improve project performance. Two best practices were shared from : (i) Malawi’s Rural Livelihoods and Economic Enhancement Programme (RLEEP); and (ii) the Kirehe Community Based Watershed Management Project (KWAMP) in Rwanda. In the latter project, the main challenge was to ensure a continuous flow of knowledge between projects, and document emerging lessons in order to build on the knowledge gained and not to repeat the same mistakes. Other challenges included a lack of systematic documentation and the fact that knowledge management takes time and resources, which are not always available. This issue is compounded by the decentralized responsibility for knowledge management.


1. LOGFRAME IMPROVEMENTS

There should be greater use of logframes to define clear indicators; fewer but more targeted indicators are easier to measure and set realistic objectives.

Identify indicators that can be measured effectively and set realistic targets.

The logframe needs to be internalized, simplified and improved by the project team to become an effective management tool; IFAD should support this process in its supervision.

2. MONITORING AND EVALUATION (M&E)

Ensure that an M&E specialist is present on all design missions.

Projects should establish an M&E framework at start-up and develop a reporting format with clearly defined roles and responsibilities.

Establish a system to collect high-quality data and check the data quality, with a focus on annual outcome reporting.

Project design should ensure baseline data collection to respond to logframe and M&E framework indicators.

Capacity can be built through the identification of national and regional centres of excellence.

3. COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE

To strengthen learning on M&E, projects should establish communities of practice with other projects and IFAD’s headquarters in order to support the sharing of knowledge and results.

Use the community M&E approach by employing participatory tools and platforms at the district level.

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Project representatives also remarked that the implementation of knowledge management activities is not always clear to them, and they need more guidance and capacity building to understand the difference between knowledge management and communication.


1. DISTINCT M&E AND KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT FUNCTIONS

M&E and knowledge management should be planned in the project design and function together throughout the life of the project, although with separate officers in charge to ensure a good flow of information, learning and continuous improvements in delivery.

Allocate resources in terms of staff, finance and time, and mainstream M&E and knowledge management among government and other partners.

Knowledge management goes beyond the development of tools and frameworks. There should be a greater focus on building capacity of project staff to put the concepts into practice.

Projects should have a well-defined knowledge management strategy that clearly outlines the “how” aspects of learning.

IFAD will provide capacity building and guidance on what is required for a knowledge management agenda.

2. COMMUNICATIONS

For effective communication, projects should identify their intended audiences and cater to their needs in their communication plans.

Projects should publish clear documentation that readers can easily assimilate. Identifying readership helps to target publications.

Projects should ensure effective and continuous documentation, and share stories and experiences.

IFAD will provide support on documenting activities effectively over the long term.

3. DEDICATED KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT RESOURCES AND

ENGAGEMENT

Projects should have dedicated knowledge management resources and not combine them with M&E or communications, which require different skills.

Projects should engage a dedicated knowledge management officer at the design stage and for the duration of the project.

Ensure all projects have a knowledge management component.

Ensure the continuity of knowledge management officers so that learning and knowledge do not get lost. Projects should put in place a system for gathering information and knowledge, which can be passed on from one knowledge management officer to another, to mitigate staff turnover.

Engage academia to conduct research on projects’ behalf.

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2.3.4. Enhancing resilience to climate change The main points of this discussion related to: (i) mainstreaming environment and climate change adaptation within IFAD projects (ii) experience with receiving technical assistance on environment and climate change adaptation; and (iii) what kind of support is required from IFAD to deal with environment and climate change adaptation. The best practices from UTaNRMP in Kenya and PROSUL in Mozambique were shared and oriented the discussion. Participants were focused on building a common understanding of climate change adaptation at the project level, developing capacity to react and building farmers' capacity for environmentally sustainable farming. It was noted that climate change is a complex, cross-cutting issue that is not always well understood at the project level. Project staff have requested more support to translate political issues into concrete action with farmers and adapt it at the national, regional and local levels. This issue is further complicated by the fact that IFAD projects mainly engage agriculture ministries, while climate-change issues are dealt with by environment ministries. Often, the lines of communication between the various ministries are weak. The complexity of the topic also has to be taken into consideration. In practical terms, farmer beneficiaries know very well the impacts of climate change, but do not understand the terminology, and the research is often not related to the market.

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2.3.5. Fostering and enhancing partnerships The following points were proposed for discussion: (i) how projects can contribute to resource mobilization (from other donors); (ii) whether building mutual trust and establishing a win-win relationship are the main factors in fostering and sustaining public-private partnerships; (iii) the key elements for inclusion of rural poor people in public-private partnerships; and (iv) challenges in partnering with the private sector and types of support required for these types of partnerships.


1. PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENTS AND MAINSTREAMING

Conduct preliminary assessments of climate change and the environment before starting a project, and use some of the project’s funds to that end.

IFAD needs to ensure that climate change is mainstreamed into project design and bring climate variability more clearly into the picture.

Projects should look at “before” and “after” scenarios with key targets for adapting to climate change.

Projects should include farmers in the research, and research organizations in the design.

Simplify the concept in workshops for a better understanding of the issue.

Invest more in training on climate change issues.

Undertake a climate risk assessment as part of M&E and provide associated tools.

2. CLIMATE-SMART TECHNOLOGIES

Projects should be supported to include and promote climate-smart technologies like conservation agriculture, agroforestry and biogas for climate change adaptation.

Involve farmers in developing adequate technologies.

Support the distribution of new seed varieties to farmers and provide associated information.

3. BUILDING GOVERNMENT CAPACITY AND DIALOGUE

IFAD should strengthen government capacity to deal with climate change issues.

Assume there is zero knowledge and work from there to build capacity of the project management unit and lead service provider to manage the impacts of climate change.

Improve the legal framework for climate change mitigation.

Share experiences and lessons among countries and projects, and foster more inter-country dialogue on climate change.

Support governments in establishing climate change frameworks along the lines of the Adaptation for Smallholder Agriculture Programme (ASAP).

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Participants were asked to share their experiences on innovative partnerships with traditional and non-traditional IFAD partners such as private ventures. They debated about how to protect IFAD's image when forging partnerships – bearing in mind that some organizations represent an institutional risk for IFAD because of their poor public image. Several examples of successful public-private-producer partnerships were presented as a basis for discussion. They included the Vegetable Oil Development Project (VODP) in Uganda, the partnership with Equity Bank in Kenya and the MIVARF programme in Tanzania. The group discussed the policy inconsistencies related to these partnerships, the lack of trust between partners on both sides of partnerships and the lack of adequate market information and infrastructure. In many cases, partners have not respected their engagement, which makes it very difficult to build a trusting relationship. In addition, it is difficult for farmers to raise their voices because they are the “weaker” partners. Organizing them into more powerful organizations or cooperatives was considered the only way to strengthen their voices.


1. POLICY FORMULATION

IFAD will support policy formulation, dialogue and improvement of legal frameworks to foster partnerships.

Ensure a clear alignment of the identified objectives in public-private-producer partnerships.

Offer results-based or evidence-based documentation to improve visibility and attract partnerships.

2. IMPROVED INFRASTRUCTURE

Governments should focus on improving infrastructure to facilitate partnerships and market access, such as roads and mobile banking.

3. VALUE CHAIN

Projects should include sound value chain analysis, including the main players, before identifying potential partners.

Develop contract-based agricultural sales.

Promote incentives for the private sector.

4. STRENGTHENING FARMERS’ CAPACITY TO ENTER INTO PARTNERSHIP

Projects should promote a culture of leadership in community organizations and the public sector to invest in strengthening farmers’ organizations.

IFAD will act as independent and trusted broker between partners.

Farmers should be provided with examples of contracts and other legal documents.

The public sector needs to invest more in strengthening farmers’ organizations.

Provide additional support services linked to contract farming, such as with financing and documentation.

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2.4. Cross-cutting issues related to portfolio improvement

2.4.1. Gender and youth The group shared case studies from ADSP-L in Tanzania and KWAMP in Rwanda, demonstrating how IFAD-supported investments can contribute to gender equality and women’s empowerment in the areas of economic empowerment, voice and representation, and equitable sharing of workloads and benefits. Discussions centred on: barriers to achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment; women’s land rights; how to target poor people; and tackling violence against women. Although patriarchy remains a challenge, it is possible to transform gender relations at the household, community and national levels. IFAD has an important role in supporting the implementation of national policies, but can also contribute to policy development through evidence-based policy dialogue. It was noted that most constitutions in ESA countries do not directly discriminate against women; however, cultural norms, for example regarding land inheritance and land tenure, can be discriminatory and prevent women from developing economic activities.

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2.4.2. Financial management In this session, the discussion focused on: (i) the contribution of Madagascar’s CAPFIDA project to portfolio financial management; and (ii) RFEDP Swaziland’s efforts to establish a chart of accounts and accounting software to facilitate automated financial reports. Participants discussed the reporting requirements, accounting and budget monitoring, and the difficulties projects face in preparing their accounts. The dialogue focused on what worked well and why (i.e. updated accounting from day 1), and what did not work so well (such as the difficulties preparing accounts because of changes in forms and software).


1. GENDER AND YOUTH POLICY AT DESIGN

Projects should develop action plans to focus on gender and youth with the aim of achieving: (i) economic empowerment; (ii) decision-making and representation; (iii) an equitable workload balance and the sharing of benefits; and (iv) full implementation of the gender and youth strategies developed at project design.

IFAD should set quotas for women’s participation in projects.

Projects can make greater use of methodologies that have proven success, such as the household mentoring approach.

Gender issues should be tackled in each different context, including polygamous households and guaranteeing women's land rights.

2. DOCUMENT CHANGE MORE SYSTEMATICALLY

Projects should be supported to document good practices and results in order to demonstrate that change is possible (short videos from the two case studies were used during the session).

Publicize and share success stories of change.

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2.4.3. Procurement The Project to Support Development in the Menabe and Melaky Regions, Madagascar, and Zambia’s Smallholder Productivity Promotion Programme shared their best practices on procurement. The procurement group discussed issues related to planning, timing, delays and choice of procurement methods. They focused on the challenges brought about by: (i) price variations due to exchange-rate fluctuations; (ii) the bidding process and the legal and regulatory environments; (iii) limited access to project sites; (iv) the supplier pool and quality for specific goods and services; and (v) delays in counterpart financing.


1. Clarify and understand poverty reduction strategy reporting needs and

requirements from the start. 2. Include technical assistance and training in the contract. 3. Establish commitments modules. 4. Organize visits within and outside the country to projects with the same

accounting software in order to increase learning.

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2.4.4. Nutrition The working group benefited from the experiences shared on: nutrition retrofitting in the Rural Livelihoods and Economic Enhancement Programme in Malawi; and mainstreaming and Scaling up Nutrition in the Mozambique portfolio. In terms of nutrition, the main issue was how to balance production for income and production for consumption. To achieve this, nutrition needs to be included as an indicator in projects to ensure that development objectives are met. Projects in Malawi provided good examples of retrofitted nutrition while projects in Mozambique explained how they were able to mainstream nutrition.


1. Use procurement plans as monitoring tools with the actual plan date

reflected, and constantly update the information. 2. Build relationships among government officials and procurement ministries to

shorten delays. 3. Build capacity for procurement as a critical aspect of quality improvement.


1. Include nutrition as an indicator in projects. 2. Mainstream nutrition in project design. 3. Use communication channels such as radio to educate people about nutrition.

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CHAPTER 3: MINISTERIAL PANEL ON RURAL TRANSFORMATION

The objective of this session was to: (i) discuss the best ways to orient policies and strategies for rural transformation, and translate them into concrete action in IFAD-funded projects; and (ii) identify challenges and opportunities encountered in IFAD-funded projects related to integrating the process of rural transformation.

3.1. Rural transformation at the policy level 3.1.1. Rural transformation at the policy level in Madagascar In Madagascar, there is a large potential for rural transformation in remote areas with low population density. The model is based on a strategic alliance between producer organizations and market organizations through agricultural development centres. This integrated approach is founded on commercial development and the promotion of value chains in specific production areas. It involves developing and supporting local service providers, who are fully integrated into the value chain. Value chains that require development are identified in advance, and farmers’ organizations and private-sector players are selected accordingly. The focus is on strengthening the capacity of farmers’ organizations and cooperatives to enter into contracts, form rural micro-enterprises and become trusted partners in the value chain – a win-win approach. The approach also involves promoting discussion and consultation platforms. Objectives are result-based, with a focus on increased productivity to reach a critical mass of volume and attract the private sector.

3.1.2. Rural transformation at the policy level in Uganda

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As Uganda presented its candidacy to host the next RIW in 2017, the Honourable Mr Vincent Frerrio Bamulangaki, Minister of State for Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries in Uganda, addressed the audience on rural transformation in his country. He reiterated that IFAD and Uganda’s Government have a strong relationship and a fruitful partnership, with IFAD providing a lot of technical support. The most important benefits for Uganda are in agro-industry and finance, as is shown in the Vegetable Oil Development Project (VODP) currently in its third phase. In terms of finance, many farmers and other rural people have been trained to enter into savings and lending schemes and obtain small loans through cooperatives and village-level associations. Overall, they are very successful, with a high rate of repayment and strong participation of women. However, he said that more assistance was needed to support farmers in building strong and successful organizations. They also needed to better utilize the business opportunities created by the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the East African Community, and be more aware of the possibilities of value chains. Some farmers’ organizations, especially those formed under VODP, have had impressive achievements; the development community needs to learn from them and strengthen its support. He added that more needs to be done in the area of rural financing so that farmers who cannot get loans from large banks can still access financing.

3.1.3. Rural transformation at the policy level in Mozambique

In Mozambique, agriculture is the basis of development. The country has a great potential and a lot of natural resources; however following the war, it became a net importer of agricultural produce. Currently, Mozambique’s agriculture policy is defined in terms of infrastructure improvements (the main condition for rural transformation) and technological transformation. There is a major focus on improving technologies to serve agriculture, such as irrigation and mechanization, with a national programme for mechanization and local centres providing integrated services from irrigation to machinery.

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With many climate change-related issues and other ecological problems, current policies are promoting sound management of natural resources and the creation of leadership centres for research on new seeds and crop varieties. Cassava is a staple crop receiving significant attention, with research focused on improving yields to move beyond self-sufficiency and develop new products such as cassava beer to add value.

3.1.4. Rural transformation in the context of the post-2015 agenda

According to IFAD’s agenda, rural transformation is about integrated policies for public investment, roads, telecommunications, rural finance, potable water and fostering new partnerships.

3.1.5. Rural transformation at the project level The panel presented successful examples of rural transformation through IFAD-supported projects in Madagascar, Mozambique and Rwanda.

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The presentation focused on the SRI technology, which has enabled increased rice yields in Madagascar (although the disparity is wide across regions, with 6 to 8 tonnes per hectare in some areas and only 1.5 tons per hectare in others). The challenge is to scale up the system, although this has not yet happened as expected. A new AD2M project in the in Melake and Menabe region will involve local people in learning new techniques, including SRI. The plan involves teaching farmers to organize into associations and cooperatives in order to increase yields and create value chains for rice and pulses. Such dynamism should lead to a visible transformation of rural areas, with technology as a key driver. In Rwanda, agriculture is a driver of economic growth with the country’s five-year national strategy focused on rural development. The strategy has brought a decline in poverty from 45 percent in 2010 to 39 percent in 2015, and a decline in extreme poverty from 24 percent in 2010 to 16 percent in 2015. The implementation programme is inclusive, with the participation of poor people – including the poorest. In Mozambique, one of the fastest-growing economies in Africa, agriculture is also a major factor in development, but infrastructure has been a problem since the war. In this country, transforming rural areas first means improving infrastructure. With 52 districts added in 1992, the entire country is now electrified, which has led to technological transformation. The country also has a national programme of mechanization, with 47 service centers for mechanization providing integrated services. Mozambique also suffers from declining yields, and a number of research centers have been established to provide extension services to small farmers; the IFAD-supported PROMER project is a prime example.

Energy also has to be integrated in Mozambique’s policy to transform agriculture. The country has significant natural resources, but strong management of these resources is equally important. Agriculture is a major basis for development: without the land, it is not possible to do anything. As Mozambique’s representative stated, "We cannot drink natural gas and eat coal”.

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3.1.6. Rural transformation through private-sector engagement The objective of this session was to capitalize on the best practices in public-private partnerships from IFAD-funded projects. Examples of success stories included: BASIC in Tanzania; Equity Bank in Kenya; the Federation of Commerce and Industries Chambers in Madagascar; and VODP in Uganda. Innovative models that can be replicated were also identified. The win-win spirit conveyed by public-private partnership models was noted, taking into account the challenges and opportunities in each country and within each project.

The innovative partnerships presented to participants include the scaled-up Vegetable Oil Development Programme (VODP) in Uganda; the new BASIC project in Tanzania (which will establish local climate-resilient sugar cane production); the partnership with Equity Bank in Kenya in rural micro-finance; and the PROSPERER project in Madagascar, which promotes small enterprises in rural areas.


The examples shared at the RIW showed the success factors for efficient and effective private-public partnerships; IFAD projects should learn more from each other.

Public-private partnerships can be facilitated by ensuring that the partners have a clear vision, trust, understanding of the benefits for all and capacity to manage risk. It is also important to have a champion who goes beyond the call of duty to ensure that the partnership works and benefits everyone.

Partners tend to have different priorities and there are several challenges that can hinder the partnership. IFAD has a clear role in aligning these different priorities and addressing related challenges.

IFAD also has a role in promoting policies that foster rural transformation. Its focus should not only be on agriculture, but on rural areas in the wider sense.

IFAD should continue supporting income-generation activities for smallholders in addition to farming.

IFAD should play the role of an honest broker, fostering government accountability, strengthening private-sector confidence and improving the accountability of non-state actors.

Proper policies and strategies for technology are needed to capture knowledge and lessons learned, and share them.

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CHAPTER 4: CROSS CUTTING ISSUES AFFECTING RURAL POVERTY

4.1. Rural development report

Steven Were, Director of IFAD's Global Engagement and Research Division (GER), presented the findings of the 2016 Rural Development Report, a document compiled every five years to assess progress in poverty reduction. Overall, poverty levels dropped during the Millenium Development Goal (MDG) era; however, progress was mixed in rural areas. This was especially true in Africa, where the rural world lagged far behind urban centers in terms of poverty. The main challenges were unemployment, urbanization, climate change and civil strife. However, there were also opportunities such as rapid urbanization, which creates opportunities on the demand side, investment opportunities in agriculture and the deepening of institutions. At the global level, it was finally recognized that rural development is fundamental for poverty reduction. IFAD’s emerging strategic framework acknowledged these opportunities and challenges in its new agenda on inclusive rural transformation. Increasingly, the rural world was considered in the wider sense, and was no longer limited to agriculture. However, inclusiveness was not a natural outcome as many forces were working against the inclusion of vulnerable people; IFAD is committed to address this issue. For IFAD, the main issue in the new agenda is that rural transformation is critical for poverty reduction, including both farm and non-farm activities. It is now understood that the link between rural transformation and structural transformation lies at the heart of economic development.

4.2. Scaling-up results Another important aspect of IFAD's agenda is the scaling-up of its activities to reach critical mass in terms of development. Adolfo Brizzi, Director of IFAD's Policy and Technical Advisory Division (PTA), explained why scaling-up has recently been given a lot of importance. One of the reasons is that the renewed objective of poverty reduction in the post-2015 agenda is extremely ambitious, and no single institution can do it alone. Scaling-up is a way to enhance learning through leveraging new partners. In this view, projects are important but not sufficient to reach development objectives. Their function is to demonstrate that something works so that other actors can come in and bring it to scale. Mr Ware also reminded participants that IFAD’s resources are fixed and limited, and therefore it had to look beyond projects to how they can be leveraged for greater impact. A significant number of innovations have been seen in IFAD's projects and it is important to identify pathways to scale them up. The private sector is an important partner because of the value chain component in many of IFAD's recent projects; about 75 percent of IFAD's portfolio has some value-chain component. IFAD needs to do more to attract additional resources beyond public funds, with some investment coming from the private sector. In fact, communities themselves are the biggest investors in their own farms, with substantial amounts of remittances reinvested into agriculture. IFAD's role is to help beneficiaries to reach scale through organizing, since it is only when they reach scale that they can attract other players like banks and agribusinesses.

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Public-private producer partnerships are a promising way to leverage financing for smallholders: 500 million smallholders translate into a large market of 2.5 billion people. In addition, instruments for financial and market inclusion such as savings mobilization, remittances, matching grants, guarantee funds and lines of credit hold promise. If IFAD and projects can package together these various instruments, the projects will become more attractive to other players. Mr Ware concluded that IFAD has to rethink its currency, which is the project loan.

4.3. Farmers’ organizations Roberto Longo, farmers’ organizations expert at IFAD, explained the importance of linking smallholder farmers to markets through farmers’ organizations and cooperatives. In his view, partnerships need to be developed at the project-design stage, with farmers’ organizations included as important players of agri-food chains. To do so, it is critical to understand the players in the value chain and choose a business model adapted to the situation. A number of complementary support services could be developed to help strengthen farmers’ organizations. PTA has developed mapping and profiling tools, which can be very useful to projects, including good examples of sustainable support to farmers’ organizations in Guinea, Honduras and Madagascar (with AROPA). He reiterated the importance of support to famers’ organizations: once they are strong, they can have an impact in terms of policy change.

4.4. Land tenure Harold Liversage, senior technical specialist on land tenure in IFAD’s PTA, indicated that since land is a key factor for agricultural production, the security of tenure is a major determinant of most of IFAD-supported investment projects. He stressed that IFAD’s project designs need to include land tenure security analysis and incorporate measures to mitigate tenure security issues. IFAD works with governments and partner networks such as the International Land Coalition (ILC) and the Global Land Tool Network (GLTN) to strengthen the security of land and natural resource tenure, which anchors the livelihoods of rural poor people. IFAD sits on the international advisory board of GLTN and has two ongoing grants with the network: (i) a global grant for implementing GLTN Phase II and (ii) a regional grant for implementing TSLI-ESA Phase II. PTA’s Land Tenure Desk, in collaboration with regional divisions, has taken stock of projects over the past five years to get a better sense of the types of land-tenure support provided and the approximate amount of investment. It is expected that this will provide a basis for: (i) lessons learned and knowledge management to support tenure security; (ii) assessing the impact of previous support on project outcomes and improved impact measurement; and (iii) building new partnerships to support tenure security.

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CHAPTER 5: FIELD VISIT SUMMARY

On the third day of the workshop, RIW participants had the opportunity to visit six IFAD-supported project site in Madagascar. The first of these was the Komamia Cooperative, which works through a collective community workshop for honey extraction and rural transformation in Anjepy-Manjakandriana. The second was a common training and production centre established to promote the bamboo value chain. Located in Tanjombato-Atsimondrano, the centre provides training, access to information, technical assistance, bamboo processing and exhibition of bamboo products. The third site was another community workshop – the Loharano cooperative in Ambalavao Atsimondrano – which produces dried fruit and processes fresh fruit into jam. The fourth site was processing workshop that produce baskets for export. This workshop in Ambohitrimanjaka Ambohidratrimo aims to increase youth employment and access to markets for rural micro-enterprises through the export of raffia products. The fifth site, a finishing workshop for basketry products managed by the Faneva Design J&R-RLE Consortium in Andoharanofotsy Atsimondrano, also aims to enhance youth employment through the design and production of baskets and hats. The final site was a plantation field of passion fruit in Antolojanahary Ankazobe. This project is the result of a partnership between the HAVAMAD fruit juice company and the Miaramizotra Cooperative for exporting natural fair-trade fruit juice.

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CHAPTER 6: MAIN CONCLUSIONS AND CLOSING REMARKS

6.1. Main conclusions Dr Mwatima Juma, IFAD's country programme officer for Tanzania, presented the conclusions and recommendations of the region’s country programme officers and project coordinators. She indicated that the main weaknesses in IFAD projects are in M&E, which has not been undertaken consistently. One of the recommendations is that IFAD appoint an M&E focal person to support projects and implement a results-based approach. Knowledge management – another difficult topic for projects – should be well defined, included in project AWP/B, and given dedicated financial resources. Similarly, M&E and knowledge management should be included in project design, with physical and financial capacity put in place at the design stage to outline how the learning should be captured. Projects requested more focused and dedicated implementation support during their first and second years (before the mid-term review), as well as more specific implementation advice about what the issues are at any given time. Regarding the different types of missions, they asked for more clarity about the various missions’ purposes, including supervision, follow-up and “full” missions. They also asked for more support from specialist consultants during the missions. In addition, they felt that both climate change and nutrition issues should be considered at the project design stage and mainstreamed during implementation. For climate change, they suggested that policies be better translated into actions at the country and project levels. Overall, participants gave very positive feedback on the sessions. They highly appreciated the presence of the President of Madagascar, who assigned a lot of importance to the workshop. They also appreciated the quality of the documentation and the interactive communications between coordinators and projects. The great majority of participants felt that the presentations were relevant to their work. The coordinators appreciated the fact that more projects were represented than ever before. They asked for more interventions in the following RIW, which would have to be a project workshop. They also hoped for more continuity in project management from IFAD and less rotation of country programme managers. A summary of the workshop evaluation can be found in the annex to this report. The next workshop will be held in Uganda with the theme of financial services to support rural transformation; it will be a direct continuation of the 2015 RIW. In concluding, Dr Juma repeated Mr Chuma's introductory words of wisdom: “To make rural transformation happen, it requires some wisdom about learning and not repeating the same mistakes and hiding behind processes. Complex is not the same as complicated. It is simple to make everything complicated, it is very complicated to make things simple”.

6.2. Gender award

The 2015 award gender award was presented by Mr Adolfo Brizzi to the Ethiopian CBINReMP project for extraordinary achievement in gender inclusion. The project supported a land certification process by providing women with land certificates. It resulted in greater involvement of women, improved family livelihoods and reduced women’s workloads. Women also had a greater role in decision making regarding the use of land.

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6.3. Closing message by Mr Sana F.K. Jatta, ESA Regional Director Mr Jatta thanked the Government of Madagascar and the organizing committee once again for successfully hosting IFAD's RIW. He also thanked the participants for their active contributions to the workshop. IFAD was honored by the attention paid by the Government of Madagascar, especially the special visit of the President. He also stated that he was rendered speechless by the award from the Government to IFAD’s Vice-President for the Fund’s good work in Madagascar. With the visit of the President and the Minister of Agriculture, it was obvious that IFAD and Madagascar are natural partners and allies in development. In fact, the policies of Madagascar were so closely aligned with those of IFAD, they were interchangeable. He added that he was very pleased that the next RIW would be in Uganda. RIWs are a platform for participants to share the experiences and challenges of implementing projects in order to learn from each other. These workshops are held every 18 months, so all participants in this RIW would have come up with an agenda for improvement – individually and collectively. The main purpose of the workshop was to look at portfolio performance. In that respect, concrete improvements were shown, with the number of “problem projects” decreasing. It was important to keep moving along these lines and improve efficiency, effectiveness, impact and sustainability. The recommendations that stemmed from the

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workshop brought about some concrete actions (along the lines of the recommendations in the portfolio report) for achieving project objectives. It would be important to continue collaborating and to collaborate better across countries, as shown by the example of cooperation between Malawi and Zambia. More South-South cooperation and learning was needed in the region. However, it was just as important to enhance resilience to climate change and foster sustainable partnerships in order to scale up successes. In conclusion, he reminded participants of his own priorities for the division, including: (i) decentralizing IFAD and pushing the agenda forward in countries where IFAD is not already present; (ii) spending more time on knowledge management and South-South cooperation; (iii) improving the portfolio (which is not only the responsibility of IFAD but also of governments and partners); and (iv) a greater focus on performance.

6.4. Reflections of Mr Michel Mordasini, IFAD Vice-President Mr Mordasini joined in the thanks already expressed by Mr Jatta, and reiterated IFAD’s gratitude to the Government and people of Madagascar for their warmest welcome and a very well organized RIW. It was indicative of the very special relationship between IFAD and Madagascar. He was also extremely touched to receive an exceptional distinction from Madagascar’s Government, which dedicated to all the smallholder producers IFAD works with; he thanked them for their generosity in sharing their experiences. Mr Mordasini was keen to share his thoughts on the interesting debates heard during the workshop, especially those regarding growth in the agriculture sector as a driver of poverty reduction: “We already have very good examples of success. Our challenge now is to bring them to scale. The great majority of African people are working in rural areas. If that sector is not vibrant, they will be forgotten on the road to development.” Food insecurity and malnutrition still affect too many farmers, and they are further exacerbated by climate change. Investing in sustainable agriculture has to remain IFAD’s foremost priority. He reminded participants that smallholders are the most important actors in development. Since they produce 80 percent of the food in Africa, they need access to market and entrepreneurial opportunities in rural areas. While IFAD’s partnership with governments remains the basis for developing new policies, it is important to engage with the private sector. He also mentioned the new SECAP, which demonstrates IFAD’s commitment to sustainable development and its compliance with environmental requirements. Collaboration among all staff and divisions is particularly needed in light of the new social, environment and climate change challenges. This is not a new bureaucratic hurdle, but part of an effort to increase institutional transparency and safeguard the organization against the potential liability of mainstreaming climate change. In other words, IFAD needs to make sure that the projects it supports do not cause environmental harm.

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6.5. Closing speech by Mr Roland Ravatomanga, Madagascar Minister of Agriculture

Mr Ravatomanga closed by stating that the workshop came at a very good moment for Madagascar after the political crisis of 2009-2013, which set the country back. IFAD is helping to set a new direction for inclusive development in Madagascar, as laid out in its National Plan for Development 2015-2019. IFAD has the largest geographical coverage of any international actor in Madagascar and took the risk of going to areas where no one else was going. This is why the partnership between IFAD and Madagascar remains so special. A deep transformation is needed to enable the rural population in ESA to experience the impacts of rural development on a daily basis. Rural areas are still more commonly seen in terms of constraints than opportunities. This has to be reversed in order to trigger agricultural development and unleash the region’s potential; the RIW contributed significantly to dealing with this challenge. Finally, Mr Ravatomanga thanked IFAD for having chosen Madagascar as the RIW venue and declared the workshop closed in the name of the

President of the Republic, the Government of Madagascar and all the people of Madagascar.

east and southern africa regional implementation … · 1.2.1. mr roland ravatomanga, madagascar...

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